Fellowship Examples from the Old Testament

Fellowship Part 4 – Fellowship in the OT

17/1/21

Text: Various

Intro:

Theme: Fellowship has always been God’s plan.

1. Review:

A. We started with this definition: God’s people sharing things that are held dear/ close as a group. Sharing together!

B. Last time I spoke the message was about the necessity of fellowship. While sometimes separation is necessary we can’t isolate ourselves from everyone and be wise.

C. Last week Josh spoke from John 17 about how fellowship is all interconnected with who we are in Christ and who Christ is within the trinity.

2. God built in fellowship from the beginning:

A. Gen 2:18 “The LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” NJKV

· Who was God talking to? The Angels is one possibility, but most people of our theological persuasion believe this is a conversation amongst the Trinity.

· We said last week that we were not made for isolation Pr 18.1.

B. Gen 3:8 “they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” NKJV

· God showed up.

· God called out to start a conversation.

3. Enoch was an example:

A. Ge 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

· If you count the generations, Enoch is only 7 down from Adam. I am sure he must have heard the stories of life before the fall, before the expulsion from the garden of Eden. Evidently, the longing for that level of fellowship with God was so strong that Enoch was able to live it out in everyday life.

B. Heb 11:5–6 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

· Here we are told why he did not die. He walked with God in a level of faith that is extremely rare!

C. Jud 14–15 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

· Enoch understood God so well that he was in total agreement with God on the end of those live for evil rather than for a relationship with God.

4. Others throughout the Old Testament had strong fellowship with God.

· Noah was a man who found favour with God and God helped him because of their fellowship.

· David was a friend of God.

· Daniel had such close fellowship that God shared the future with him as well.

5. Others in the Old Testament enjoyed fellowship amongst people.

· Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:

o We still hear the saying, “friends who will walk through fire with you…”

o The shared their faith in common. That lead to things like:

§ Being on the same diet together. Danial 1

§ Standing in defiance of an ungodly governmental decree: Danial 3

§ Standing together in court together as one. Danial 3.16

§ Being thrown in the furnace together. Danial 3.24-26

§ Experiencing the Pre-incarnate Christ together. Danial 3.27-30

· The king asked them to come out. I think I would have wanted to stay with Christ!

§ Walking out and proclaiming their faith together.

· Future King David and his friend Johnathan – son of King Saul.

o I believe it was because David had such a good relationship with God that he was able to have great fellowship with the son of the man who eventually sought to kill him.

o 1 Samuel 18.1–4 “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armour, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. ESV

· Ps. 133.1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! ESV

o

Conclusion: Fellowship has always been God’s plan. God had it before creation. God engaged in fellowship with people in early human history, God told His people that it was a good thing, and we see many examples throughout the Old Testament of quality fellowship.